Crickets

Care and feeding of  your crickets is a hobby in it's self.  You will need to do more research if you want to keep thousands of crickets alive.  The brown cricket used for feeding reptiles in the pet trade is a bit different from the black crickets you may see outside.  Crickets are a staple for Chameleons, especially in cold areas like Saskatchewan in the winter. 

You should dust your Crickets lightly with a good quality vitamin powder about once a week.  I've found that any more than once a week causes my Jacksons to exhibit signs of edema.  For Panther Chameleons, twice a week seems fine. 

For babies and pregnant females, I dust with a good quality phosphorus free calcium powder (such as Rep-Cal) every feeding.  Growing bones and eggs need the extra calcium.  To dust, just put the powder in a bucket, add crickets and shake.  The dust will cling to the crickets and be ingested. 

Your Crickets may also be "gut loaded".  This means giving the Chameleon some highly nutritious food just before they are eaten. I find that it's probably best to just feed your crickets properly all the time.  Lots of fresh leafy greens, carrots and cut fresh fruit are best.  You can make your own cricket gut load with this recipe although I don't personally have the time to chase down monkey chow, prickly pear cactus and algae.  Much easier is to purchase a good quality commercial cricket foods Krickets Un Ltd (403) 782-7902 or you may purchase vitamins and gut load from http://www.herpnutrition.com/.

Superworms

There is a relatively new species of mealworm on the market known as the Superworm, or "king" mealworm (Zophobas morio). This species naturally grows larger than the artificial jumbo common mealworm, but contain less chitin than the common mealworm. The Superworm is easier for your Chameleon to digest than a large meal.  I find these worms to be very aggressive and active.  They would be suitable for most adult Chameleons, even my small dwarf Jacksons like them but they would not be appropriate for baby Chameleons.  Superworms should be used as a treat and not as a staple food.  The red tack in the picture is to give you a size reference.

Wax Worms

Wax Worms are small moist tasty (apparently) worms that Chameleons just love.  If you only feed crickets to your Chameleon he will eventually become bored of them.  and go on a hunger strike.  Some Chameleons will simply stop eating and die.  Variety in the diet is more than just a nice thing - it's necessary.  I know that both my Dwarf Jacksons and my Panthers LOVE these worms.  They are high in protein but should be used sparingly as a treat and not as a staple food.

Misc

More or less any insect can make a good meal for a Chameleon and variety is very important.  Just one note of caution - some insects are either mildly toxic or simply not healthy for Chameleons.  For example, a big juicy caterpillar that has been eating tomato leaves is dangerous - not the insect but the tomato leaves!  Some insects (wasps or bees) may sting your Chameleon.  Ants, in large enough numbers, will eat your Chameleon.  If you aren't sure about an insect it's probably best to join a chat group and ask first.